It is well known in construction of buildings that electricity, telecommunications and other utility distribution systems include receptacles within walls of a building for safe delivery of the utility to a user. For example, electrical wiring systems utilize outlet and/or switch receptacles within walls for plugging in electrical apparatus, and for switching on and off lights, etc. Additionally, circular lighting fixtures are commonly recessed within ceilings within cut-outs, and utility pipes, wire conduits, sprinkler heads also pass through wall and/or ceiling cut-outs. In constructing a building having walls with such utility receptacles and/or recessed lighting fixtures, typically a wall or ceiling frame is constructed first of vertical studs and/or horizontal joists, and then electrical and related utility systems are roughed-in the wall and ceiling by running wires, pipes, etc. through holes in the studs to receptacle boxes, lighting fixtures, etc., secured to the studs for outlets and switches, etc. Then a rigid sheet of drywall, also commonly known as sheetrock, is secured to the wall and ceiling. A builder must align many cut-outs in the drywall to match up with the utility receptacles, lighting and pipe positions on the studs. Next, if the cut-outs are matched up properly, the drywall is taped and finished with taping compound; the compound is allowed to dry; then sanded; and then primed and finish painted. Then components of the receptacle are secured within the receptacle box, such as electrical outlets, switches, circular lighting fixtures, pipes etc., and finally a cover plate is secured over the receptacle, as is well known. (For purposes herein, the phrase “utility receptacle” includes electrical outlets, switches, lighting fixtures, sprinkler pipes and heads, pipes, wire conduits, and any utility apparatus that can be secured within or pass through a flat wall or ceiling surface.)
Frequently, however, the cut-out does not align properly with the receptacle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a cut-out 100 may include a substantial gap 101 between a wall 102 and a utility receptacle 104. That presents significant problems. First, the gap 101 must be filled in with plaster, durabond or a bonding compound referred to in the trade as “mud” to produce a flush, smooth surface between the receptacle 104 and the wall 102. Second, the switch component 106 includes support ears 108 that are used to bear against the wall 102 to produce a flush surface of the components 106. As seen in FIG. 4, the support ears 108 at the bottom of the cut-out 100 bear firmly against the wall 102, but the support ears 108 at the opposed top of the receptacle 104 are aligned over the gap 101 and have no firm support to bear against in finishing the installation of the utility receptacle 104. When a switch cover plate (not shown in FIG. 4) is secured to the switch component 106, because the support ears 108 are not firmly aligned over the wall 102, use of the switch component 106 through the cover plate will tend to cause the switch component 106 and the entire receptacle to move and appear loose, which will eventually pose a hazard as such wear deteriorates the whole utility receptacle 104 apparatus.
Solutions to such problems include efforts to use specialized drywall patches. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,820 to Wood shows an apparatus for “Repair of Drywall Surrounding Electrical Boxes” that includes a roll of tear-away repair articles. The articles include a finishing tape border surrounding a mesh interior and a tear-away release liner. The mesh interior is dimensioned to fit around a utility receptacle and the finishing tape border then covers any gaps, cracks, holes, saw lines, or blow outs around the utility receptacle. Prior to application of the repair article, the cracks or holes, etc. would have been filled with a bonding compound. While this repair material facilitates finishing off a flush surface of a disrupted wall adjacent a utility receptacle, a user still faces a difficult problem of applying the bonding compound. Additionally, the repair article is flexible and offers no rigid, firm surface to support the support ears common to most receptacle components.
It is also known to use drywall patch apparatus, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,525 to Amy. The drywall patch of Amy includes a somewhat rigid frame with a depending skirt, wherein the skirt is inserted into a hole or cutout in the drywall, while a peripheral edge of the frame becomes flush with the wall adjacent the cut-out. The skirt within the hole prevents the frame from moving. A drywall paper extends across a void between opposed edges of the frame. A user secures the frame over a hole, and then applies a bonding compound to secure the patch on the wall over the hole. The primary purpose is to provide for a patch for an inadvertent hole, but the frame could be used around a utility receptacle cut-out by removing all or a portion of the drywall paper. The frame, however, still does not provide a rigid backing for the support ears 108, nor does it facilitate application of the bonding compound adjacent edges of the utility receptacle 104 within the cut-out 100.
Accordingly, there is a need for a frame for a wall cut-out that facilitates establishing a smooth, attractive, flat mounting surface in the wall or ceiling adjacent a utility receptacle within the cut-out and that provides for firm, rigid support for support ears of receptacle components within the utility receptacle.